Parallels
by GolfAlphaMike
Summary: You know that game where you find the differences in two pictures? You shouldn't play it with different dimensions. Final chapter (4) posted. Added genre and Starco!
1. Chapter 1

If Star vs. The Forces of Evil was a donut, I wouldn't even own the hole. I'm not 100% sure who owns it. I know it's not me. I think Disney and Daron Nefcy own it. Maybe.

Please enjoy the story. Comments would be appreciated.

* * *

 **Parallels**

 **Chapter I**

"So is it true?" Marco asked.

"Kinda... I think."

They had been watching television, when they came across an episode of NOVA. It was about the Many Worlds theory. Marco had been travelling to different dimensions with Star. He was immediately interested to see if PBS would shed any light on his experiences.

"When you first got here, you said, and I quote, 'I'm a magical princess from another dimension.'" Marco said with his voice pitched higher to sound feminine. He added the sweeping gesture of a hand waving a pretend wand to create a flaming rainbow. Star giggled at his imitation of her.

"I guess I was focused on the 'magical princess' part of that at the time."

"Well I did turn a bug into a monster. By the way, did they ever find that guy?"

"He was fine." Marco assured her. "We've traveled through different dimensions together a bunch of times, but I haven't stopped to think about what that really means until now. What exactly are different dimensions? They aren't different planets, right?"

"They're here, and also not here. It's hard to explain. They're like different versions of the world. This world."

"So the other dimensions aren't higher dimensions. You don't exist in 5-D space and can't perceive time as a physical dimension. You're not a ghost behind the bookshelf..." Marco narrowed his eyes and grinned, "...or are you?"

Getting the joke, Star giggled. "Right. They're different possibilities of the same four dimensions you and I are used to."

"Possibilities? What do you mean?"

"For a dimension to exist, it has to have at some point been possible."

"So by virtue of both dimensions existing, Earth could have been Mewni, if some things happened differently."

"Yes, but we don't quite know what the different events were. If the differences were small, they could have happened so long ago that they could have had huge consequences over time."

"You just described the Butterfly effect. Appropriate."

Star smiled.

Marco continued, "So maybe, Mewni might have become Earth if magic didn't exist there."

"Well, magic does exist here too. It's just hidden."

"And Ludo's dimension is also Earth, but maybe some event caused everything to... What's the word I'm looking for?... monsterify?"

Star agreed, "That would explain why so many look like Earth animals. Combined with people. And other animals. And fungus..."

"So dimensional scissors cut holes in the divisions between dimensions so we can travel between them."

"Right."

"But how do they work? They're magic too, right? How do they know where to take you? I haven't noticed any controls."

"Well, they just do. Like if I wanted to open a hole to Mewni, that's where the exit will be. They're magic."

"And the time I opened a hole to the monster dimension." Marco paused for a moment to think. "But there and Mewni are really different from Earth. What about another Earth? What about a place so similar to Earth, that maybe you couldn't tell the difference?"

Star's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly. "Whoa. Mind blown, man!" Star got an excited look on her face. "Let's try it, Marco! Let's go to another dimension like this one!"

Marco looked worried and incredulous at once. "Uh-oh. How would we do that?"

Star explained as she dragged Marco to her room. "We just do something. Something small. According to the theory, a dimension where the opposite happened would then have to exist! Then we would use the scissors to go to that dimension!"

Marco caught on. "Like flipping a coin?"

"Marco! That's perfect! Flip a coin onto the desk, and after it lands, we'll find the dimension where it landed on the other side!"

"That seems like a pretty small difference. Would we even be able to tell that anything is different other than the coin?"

"Who knows?! No guarantee that that would be the only change. But lets try it!" Star grabbed the dimensional scissors.

"Hang on." Marco left Star's room for a moment and returned wearing a fanny pack. "Okay, now we're ready."

Marco produced a quarter from his pocket. After carefully setting it on the thumb of his right hand, he flipped it into the air. They watched as it dramatically arced above their heads tracing a parabolic path as if it were moving in slow motion.

The coin descended towards the surface of the desk, colliding with a satisfying clink near the edge. It made another hop through the space above the desk after the quarter rebounded from the horizontal plane. The coin returned to the desk and after a third bounce, started to spin on the polished surface.

Star and Marco placed their faces close to the glossy surface of the desk. They watched the quarter spin intently. The way the coin's movement caught the light made it flash like a tiny strobe. A little shiny disco ball. Star began nervously chewing on the end of her wand. The pink hearts on her cheeks became green cent(¢) symbols. Tiny beads of perspiration appeared on Marco's forehead. Their eyes grew with anticipation, the spinning currency reflected in them.

This coin sure knew how to take its sweet time.

The coin's balance changed and it tipped slightly. A result was imminent, but the coin had not yet settled. As it oscillated and rotated, it made a vibrating metallic sound against the desk.

You could cut the air in the room with a sharp blade because it was so thick with tension.

A deafening silence enveloped the room as the coin finally ceased its motion. The eagle seemed to give them a knowing wink. Tails.

Suddenly, a sharp blade cut the air in the room. A dimensional portal opened. Star and Marco emerged from it.

"Marco! It worked! The coin's on the desk! It's tails!"

"Star? Uh, we're... here."

The four teens in the room looked confused or surprised. They locked eyes with their counterparts.

The screaming then commenced.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!..."

* * *

They hadn't thought this all the way through. If the two dimensions were so similar, of course there would be another Marco and Star there... here.

"What the heck happened?!" Marco interrogated the two familiar visitors.

"We were trying out the Many Worlds theory! We flipped a coin. It came up heads!" the other Marco answered.

"So did we! It came up tails! But why did you come here before we came to you?"

"Marco missed the toss. The coin landed on the rug." the other Star answered.

It suddenly made sense. The visiting pair didn't have to wait an eternity for the coin to come to rest. It didn't bounce or spin on the rug.

Star and Marco wouldn't need to visit the other dimension to satisfy their curiosity. Instead, it came to them.

Now that the initial shock of the meeting had subsided, the teens regarded each other.

Both Stars squealed at the same time. "Oh my, gosh! Look at you! I love your hair! And your dress!" Strange to compliment each other's hairstyle and clothes if they were identical. "So cute!" They continued like that for a while.

The Marcos were experimenting by shouting random words. Their voices produced an echo as they reverberated against each other.

"Pineapple!"

"Jinx!"

"Motorcycle!"

"Double Jinx!"

"Hippopotamus!"

"Turquoise!"

"GODZILLA!"

"ALBUQUERQUE!"

Somehow, one of the Marcos held his hands up and broke the pattern. "Okay, okay, stop. I think it's pretty clear that we're exactly the same."

"Hey, do you get the distinct feeling that we are messing with universal forces we really aren't supposed to?" one of the Marcos said.

"I sure do, other me. I sure do. For science." came the reply accompanied by a wink and a finger gun pointing gesture.

Interrupting a visual comparison of their wands, the other Star chimed in, "We should go out and explore! Who knows what we'll find that's different?!"

She grabbed the other Marco's hand. Practically dragging him, she ran out of the room and down the stairs. "'Bye, Mr. And Mrs. Diaz!" she shouted as they passed Marco's parents in the living room.

"Adiós, kids!" called out Mr. Diaz in response as they exited the front door.

Back in the room, Star made a gesture simulating fireworks by her head. "Mind blown." she whispered.

"We should probably go after them, huh?"

Star grabbed Marco's hand. Practically dragging him, she ran out of the room and down the stairs. "'Bye, Mr. And Mrs. Diaz!" she shouted as they passed Marco's parents in the living room.

"Adiós, kids!" called out Mr. Diaz in response as they exited the front door.

A moment later, a confused look came over their faces. But, with a slight shake of their heads and a quiet "nah", they dismissed the strange feeling of déjà vu.

Marco spoke as they chased their doppelgängers. "I'm worried, Star. Doubles of us running around in this dimension?"

"Don't worry about it, Marco. They're us! What's the worst that could possibly happen?"

Marco paled.

* * *

 **continuará**


	2. Chapter 2

**Parallels**

 **Chapter II**

Star and Marco talked as they ran through the neighborhood. "What if that other you and me aren't as identical to us as we think?"

"I don't know Marco, it really seems like they were."

"But what if the difference is so small, we don't realize it's there. Remember the Butterfly Effect? Small changes can lead to big consequences."

"Oh Marco! You worry too much"

"Oh no! We lost them!" said Marco as they approached an intersection.

They looked around and their doubles were nowhere to be seen.

"Ha! We haven't lost anyone! If you were Marco, 'cause you are, and I was Star, 'cause I am, where would we head to?"

"If we were exploring an alternate dimension looking for differences in the world, I'd go someplace familiar..."

* * *

School was out, but there was a high school football game tonight. People gathered at the field to watch, including the visiting pair. They were currently under the bleachers.

"Marco? Why are we hiding?" Star whispered.

"We are trying to observe, Star. We can watch what is going on from here. See if anyone behaves differently.

"Not that I mind, but why can't we just walk around to do that?"

"What if we're seen?"

"Uh, nothing happens? We're from here remember? We could walk right up to everyone, talk to them, and they wouldn't suspect a thing."

 **duh moment** _/_ _ˈ_ _də ˈmōmənt/_ n. **1** This.

Marco felt a little silly now for being so cautious. "Right." He paused. "But let's stay here a little longer."

Star smiled at him.

* * *

"See Star? Just as I thought. They're here. If they were going to look for differences in people they know, they were going to come someplace with as many people they know as possible. Tonight that's here."

"Why are they hiding under the bleachers?"

"Maybe they didn't want to be seen?"

"Why not? It's not like they would have been out of place."

"Hmm." Marco sounded realizing the logic of Star's statement. "Well, let's ask them if they found anything."

Marco and Star approached the rear of the bleachers. The visiting pair had been seen. They could see them talking to Ferguson in his possum mascot costume. They had to wait until he left before they could join the pair under the bleachers.

Ferguson left before long. He passed right by Marco and Star who were covering their faces with a newspaper. They watched him leave through eye holes they cut out in the large mugshots featured on the front page. It appeared that he didn't notice them.

"Armed robbers at large? We should find them!" exclaimed Star as they disposed of the newspapers. They then stealthily ducked underneath the bleachers to join their guests.

The other Star greeted them. "Oh hey! You're here! We were wondering when you'd find us!"

"Yeah, we kind of figured out that you'd come here. Have you noticed anything?" Marco asked.

The other Marco responded. "Not yet. But we haven't really gone out to talk to anyone. Although, Ferguson was just here."

"Yeah we saw. We had to wait until he left. Did you notice anything about him?" Marco asked.

"No. But, he was surprised that we were under here." The other Star responded.

"Still dressed as a possum." The other Marco added, "We can't all stay under here. If we've been spotted by Ferguson, then we could be spotted by anyone. It would be hard to explain away two of each of us together."

Star said, "I don't know about that. Everyone here knows that I can use magic."

Marco responded, "No, he's... I'm... um... he's right. I'm not sure I want to explain the implications of a Multiverse to anyone that asks."

They remembered the NOVA episode. They all thought about the coin flip, probabilities, other dimensions, higher dimensions, possible worlds, subatomic particles, antimatter, and the philosophical aspects of free choice. They agreed that it was too much.

The other Marco suggested, "You two stay here and watch. We'll go out and interact. Maybe you can see something. Meet us at the convenience store after the game."

Marco agreed. The other Marco took his Star's hand and led them out from the cover of the bleachers.

The other Star waved, "'Bye, us!"

Just as they left, Marco had a thought. He wanted to stop the departing pair. He saw his counterpart's face. He knew that he was thinking the same thing. But it was too late. The visiting pair had already been spotted. Too late to change the plan now.

"What's wrong?" Star asked.

"It would have been better if we went out, and they stayed behind. How would we know what to look for? Everyone is going to act around us how they always have."

"Well, we can find out if they noticed anything later."

* * *

Marco and Star observed the guests and everyone around them for the duration of the game. Nothing was very obviously different.

Among the crowds, Marco said "hi" to some friends, but Star greeted everyone with an enthusiastic "Hello, friends!"

The game started and the pair sat close together in the bleachers above them to watch.

Halftime came and went. The visiting duo watched Brittney and the cheerleaders perform. Ferguson ran along the sidelines dressed as an opossum.

After the second half ended, the crowds thinned and began to leave. Echo Creek's team had been defeated, as they normally are without Star's field booby traps.

Marco and Star had remained under the bleachers the entire time. Marco couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was... off.

The visiting pair subtly signaled that they were leaving. Star and Marco watched the backs of the pair as they walked away toward the street. Jackie skated by them and waved goodbye.

"'Bye, Star Butterfly. 'Bye, Marco."

"'Bye, Jackie!" Star waved her right hand vigorously. Marco smiled, and waved his left hand.

* * *

Almost everyone had left when Star and Marco had decided the coast was clear and emerged from hiding. They immediately ran into Alfonso.

"Oh hey guys! I thought you left. Ferguson said he saw you under here earlier."

Thinking fast, Marco replied. "Oh, uh, I dropped my keys. We came back to find them."

"Relax guys! It's cool, it's cool." Alfonso said as he smiled. "I'll see you later." He quickly departed.

"Star, did that seem odd to you?"

"Yeah! You didn't tell me you dropped your keys. I'll help find them!"

Star pulled out her wand and cast a spell.

"MASTERA KWIKSETTY SCHLAGERINO!"

The now empty bleachers were obliterated in a colorful blast of light. Pieces of wood and metal landed on the field. Up from of the ground floated three sets of keys. The remaining spectators fled the scene.

"Hehe. Oops."

"Star, I didn't lose my keys! I just said that so we would have a reason for being under there!" Marco scolded. Calming down, he continued. "I meant, did it seem like Alfonso was nervous? Seemed like he was in a hurry to leave."

"Maybe he just had somewhere to be. Like us! We should go meet up with us!"

"Okay. But grab those keys. I'll drop them at lost and found. Someone might still be looking for them."

* * *

When Star and Marco arrived at the convenience store it was dark and late. The other Star and Marco were waiting outside. They did not worry about being seen together since it was fairly deserted. Only the clerk was there and he had long ago learned not to ask questions.

"Hi, us!" the other Star greeted them as they approached.

"Hi guys." Marco responded. "I'm not sure we noticed anything, but there was something. I just can't say for sure what."

"I'm glad you said something. I got the same feeling." the other Marco said.

"You were talking to Ferguson when we arrived. Was it him?" Marco asked.

"It was actually spooky. Even the patches on the possum costume were the same. No, it wasn't anything you could see." the other Marco said.

"Did he do something weird?" Star asked. "Did he draw a face on his belly to talk to you?"

"Nah. But even if he did, that would have been normal." the other Star responded.

Marco thought of a question. "Star?"

"Yes?" both Stars responded in unison.

"Other Star."

"Yes?" responded the other Star.

"I didn't think anything of it at the time, but you mentioned that Ferguson was surprised. Why would he be surprised?"

"I don't know. Like he was surprised to see us. Which is weird. He sees us all the time." the other Star thought for a moment. "Now that you mention it, lots of people were surprised to see us. Are you guys homebodies?"

"Us? Homebodies? Nah. We're always out doing stuff. And we see people all the time." Star responded.

"There was something going on. It's like people could somehow tell that we weren't you, um, us." the other Marco said.

"That's it! It's not anyone else that's different. It's you two!" Marco realized. "It's us."

"All right! Now to get some answers!" other Star exclaimed. "Time for some deep, dark, and extremely intrusive personal questions."

Suddenly, Star and Marco felt very exposed.

Suddenly, a sharp blade cut the air in the parking lot. A dimensional portal opened. Monsters emerged from it.

"Ludo really has the impeccable timing of a broken fake Rolex." thought Marco.

The clerk in the store put on a hard hat. "Not again..." he muttered as he ducked behind the register.

* * *

 **continuará**


	3. Chapter 3

**Parallels**

 **Chapter III**

Monsters filed out of the portal into the parking lot of the convenience store. Ludo opened his beak to order the attack. "GET THE WAaaaa..?" The order died on Ludo's beak as he looked with disbelief. He glanced back and forth between the pair of Stars. Two wands?

But, rather than thinking of the increase in quantity of his opponents, Ludo viewed his situation as having twice the odds of success. After all, he only needed one wand. Math was not his strong suit.

"GET THE WAND! EITHER WAND!"

The monsters advanced on the teens who fought in pairs, as they normally do to battle Ludo's army. But with multiple Stars and multiple Marcos, the battle quickly descended into a chaotic melee.

* * *

It was a simple combo that they performed together many times. Star would hit the monster with Jelly Bean Hallucination Mist, then Marco would perform a flying dragon kick while the monster was dazzled.

The mist appeared around the head of Spikeballs. Right on cue, Marco leapt at the monster's head. Before he could strike out with his foot, he collided with the other Marco in midair. They crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.

Shaking off the impact of the fall, Marco said, "Hey! I thought you were with the other Star!" They both looked to the girl near them. She shrugged.

Before the spell wore off, the other Marco gave a chop to the back of the monster's neck, knocking him out.

In the confusion of battle, Marco had confused the Stars with each other and left Star without support. He began searching among the horde looking for her.

There, on the other side of the lot. Star was fighting alone. Colorful blasts flew from the area. But she was being overwhelmed. Marco was too far to help.

"MARCO!" Star called.

"STAR!"

"HONEYBEE TORNADO SWARM!" Suddenly, bees came from the other direction, creating a clearing near Star. The other was on her way to help. "BUNNY RABBIT BLAST!" shouted the other Star as she used the spell to launch herself into the clearing.

The other Marco called out, "Star! Both of you! Stay close to each other! They want either wand! It's better for you to defend each other!"

"Right!" both Stars responded.

Both Marcos looked at each other with a determined look in their eyes. "Let's do this." said one.

A manly grunt and a quick nod was the only reply needed.

* * *

The Marcos ran toward a monster. One behind the other. The front Marco performed a foot first baseball slide before he reached the monster. Timing it perfectly, he launched the monster vertically with an upwards kick. The trailing Marco leapt over his double, catching the monster midair with a dragon kick. The monster flew backwards, into another monster knocking both out.

As the Marco landed, another monster attempted to catch him with a punch. But the boy was prepared and caught the punching arm, using the momentum to send the creature stumbling backwards towards the boy's double who delivered a powerful spinning elbow to the monster's back. The Marcos moved to engage their next opponents.

* * *

The Stars worked well together, with one hindering attackers with syrup spells. The other concentrated on finishing off the slowed monsters with Narwhal Blasts.

* * *

Marco swept the legs of Giraffe-man who's high center of gravity made the attack more effective. The monster fell on its back. The other Marco near its head grabbed the monster's two knob like horns. Giraffe-man's arms were too short to reach to stop him.

Marco grabbed the monster's ankles and together the two boys began to swing the monster like a jump rope. They quickly built momentum, and as the monster's rotation reached its apex, they pulled the monster straight down and slammed him into the asphalt. They used the energy from the rebound to repeat the slam, knocking out the monster.

The Marcos then tossed Giraffe-mans limp form at a group of approaching monsters. His length was enough to knock down four of them.

* * *

A floating spell lifted Buff Frog into the air. The other Star fired a Cupcake Blast to keep him there. The Stars treated it like a game. Alternating blasts kept the hapless monster airborne.

* * *

Marco had just defeated another monster when he saw his counterpart already faced with Two-head who was striking at the other Marco's defenses. Marco joined to face the monster on its left side. Although able to focus on both opponents, Two-head was reduced to using only one hand against each, forcing it to revert to defense.

* * *

Seeing that the Stars were distracted with the game of monster volleyball, A monster approached Star from behind preparing to grab her. At the same time another monster approached the other Star from behind. Each Star saw the other's attacker.

"No clear shot." Star said to herself. While aiming her wand with her right hand, she ran to get by the other Star.

"She's in the way." The other Star said to herself. Holding her wand in front with her right hand, she ran to get by Star.

As the Stars both rushed by each other, passing on the right, the backs of their left hands barely brushed.

* * *

Somewhere inside a free neutron, the gluon between the two down quarks interacted with the up quark.

* * *

There was a bright flash of light and a sound like a cannon. A pressure wave knocked the Stars away from each other and they tumbled to the ground. Their left hands and arms hurt and tingled.

They looked at each other in surprise. An electric smell hung in the atmosphere. They were now thirty feet apart. The two monsters they had been fighting had also been flung back and were unconscious. An unconscious Buff Frog was now in a tree across the street. Folded across a branch, he dangled like laundry hung out to dry.

They had to know.

The Stars carefully approached each other. Each holding their index finger in front of them.

Slowly and gently, the very tips of their fingernails made the slightest possible contact.

* * *

An oxygen molecule was halted in its path by the fundamental electromagnetic force.

* * *

A flash like a camera. A sound like a shotgun. Limbs knocked back like bowling pins. Shock and pain in the hands and fingers.

A realization came over both Stars.

"Oh, no!" They looked to the boys.

"MARCO!"

* * *

Even with his ability to split his attentions, Two-head couldn't defend against the Marcos forever with only one hand against each.

It was like looking at a mirror. Marco stomped the monster's foot with his left. At the same time the other Marco stomped with his right.

With the monster immobilized, Marco threw a body punch with his right hand to draw a block from the monster's left hand. The other Marco simultaneously performed the same actions, mirrored.

With the monster's arm occupied, Marco connected with a left hook to the left head. Right hook to the body. Left to the head, right to the body. Finally a jumping spinning round kick to the chest with his right leg. His heel connecting at the same time as the other Marco's left heel, knocking the two headed monster backwards off its feet.

It was a beautiful, dangerous ballet.

"WOOOO!"

It was awesome.

"THAT WAS AWESOME!"

It was the kind of move you celebrate.

"HIGH FIVE!"

"UP TOP!"

The Marcos leapt and Star's eyes went wide.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo..."

* * *

Somewhere inside a proton in an atom's nucleus, a green quark changed color to blue. It stayed for an infinitesimally small time period before it changed back. An electron passed from one atom to another creating two ions.

Sometimes little events have big consequences.

* * *

 **¿el fin?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Parallels**

 **Chapter IV**

Light so pure and white.

Sound of a thousand thunderbolts at once.

Pressure like being swept away by a tidal wave.

Smell of ozone.

Tinnitus.

* * *

 _...EEEeeeeee~~~~_

 _eee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"wwwww" _ee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

 _ee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"wwrcw" _ee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"mwrcw" _ee~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"Mwrco!" _ee~~~~~~~~~~~~_

"Wwke wp Mwrco!" _ee~~~~~_

"Plewe wke up Mwrco!" _e~~_

"Opwn yowr eyes!" _e~~~_

"Marco!" _e~~~~~~~~_

"MARCO! NO!" _e~~~_

"BREATHE!" _e~~~_

"PLEASE!" _e~~~_

"MARCO!" 

"PLEASE WAKE UP!" 

"OH NO! NO! MARCO!"

Panic.

"MARCOOO! MMARCOOO!"

Star.

"PLEEEEASE! NOOO!"

Far.

"Marco! Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"

Close.

"NOOOOO!"

Far.

The other Star.

* * *

He felt something being lifted off of him. Marco tried opening his eyes. Blue spots danced in his still blurry vision.

His whole body hurt. His hand and arm throbbed. Good. That meant that he still had them.

Star was there. His Star. "Marco! Are you alright?! Say something!"

"St-Star. Ow."

Star made a sound of relief.

"W-What happened?" A sudden realization hit Marco. "Are you okay?! Is everyone okay?!"

Dozens of car alarms were going off. Dogs were barking.

Marco's vision began to focus. He had been thrown across the parking lot. Rubble and broken glass was everywhere. Some debris that Star had moved off of him lay nearby.

He looked at Star. She appeared unhurt, but her eyes were reddened. Had she been crying?

He could still hear the other Star screaming.

Disoriented, Marco looked around. He hadn't yet found the other Star and Marco.

There. Ludo.

Marco thought, "Did he win the fight somehow?" The look on Ludo's face told him the answer. No.

Ludo was patting his clothing in a panic. He was looking for his dimensional scissors. He was trying to escape. He may have been willing to fight doubles of Star and Marco, but he definitely didn't want to face whatever caused this.

The moment he found his scissors he created a portal. His tiny hand trembled as he did. Ludo dove through the opening headfirst. Monsters crowded the aperture trying to get through. Some carrying or dragging other injured and unconscious monsters. They had a frenzied look on their faces. They didn't know what just happened, but they did not want to be here if it happened again.

Marco scanned the area for the others.

A huge crater had been made in the asphalt of the lot. Circular in shape, the pavement within depressed and crumbled. The cars that had been parked were crushed in on the sides facing toward the crater. Like they had been hit by a semi.

There, on the far side. He saw her holding the other Marco. They were by the remains of a wall that had been caved in. He was limp and still. Marco tried to get up to help.

"No! Marco! You can't!" screamed Star.

"What?! They're hurt! We have to help!" Marco struggled to get to his feet.

"No! You can't touch them!" Star grabbed Marco. "Something happened when we touched each other! Then when you gave each other a high five..." Star trailed off. "I'm sorry."

The other Star was screaming. Wailing. Pleading with whatever forces would listen. She was calling for him to come back. Begging for him to wake up. Tears poured like a rainstorm.

Marco and Star were helpless to do anything but watch. Time slowed like a river of tar. The terrible screams shook them to their cores. They knew they would hear them in their nightmares.

What seemed like an eternity passed.

A hand twitch.

"...star"

* * *

Marco saw it. The difference. There it was. It was impossible to not see now.

Star silently stared. Exclamation points on her cheeks.

At the football game, when they left the cover of the bleachers, Marco was the one to reach for his Star's hand to lead her out. As they walked among the crowd, they walked just a little closer.

Watching the game, there was no room between them when they sat on the bleachers.

When they said goodbye to Jackie, the other him didn't react. They never even let go of each other's hands as they waved goodbye.

Ferguson saw and spoke to the other us under the bleachers. What did he see? The other Star said he was surprised they were under there. Of course he would be. I know what happens there between teenagers.

Did he tell Alfonso what he saw? Alfonso wasn't in a rush to go somewhere. He was trying to leave us alone. He thought we had snuck back there to be together.

The flash. The boom. The shockwave. The other Marco lying there unmoving. The panic and desperation in her screams for him. The fear on her face. The tears. The pleading.

The relief in her voice when he woke. The way she held him, like she was afraid she would lose him if she let go. The joy in her face when he embraced her in return.

The kiss.

* * *

After first aid and some time to gather themselves, everyone came to the same obvious conclusion. The visiting pair isn't supposed to be here. And this was the Universe's not so subtle way of saying so.

They had been very lucky today. They hadn't made person to person contact all day. Marco hadn't shaken the other Marco's hand in greeting. Star hadn't enthusiastically called for "Hugs!" with her other self. What if that had happened in a crowd?

What exactly caused this? Antimatter reaction? Atomic fission? Subatomic fusion? Bio-energy feedback? What if the two wands collided?

In the end, it didn't matter. Them being here was extremely dangerous. Apparently, only one unique individual per dimension allowed needs to be a rule in the safety manual of the Multiverse.

They thought it would best if the visiting pair leave this dimension in the same place they arrived. They began the walk home.

* * *

No one said much on the way home, even though there was a lot to say. The visiting pair may have still been in shock from what happened. But the home pair's minds were consumed with thoughts of the other pair.

Did their guests realize that their hosts were not a couple? Did that possibility even cross their minds? The thought certainly didn't occur to their hosts that their guests might be together.

How did this happen? Did they start dating immediately, or did it take a while? Star's been here for a while now. How does this affect their lives? School? His parents? Her parents? Their future plans?

Did they love each other?

What happens when Star has to leave?

Marco and Star needed to talk. Alone.

* * *

It was late by the time they returned to Marco's house. Marco's parents were probably asleep. The teens were not seen as they entered the front door and climbed the stairs to Star's room.

They were careful to keep a safe distance as they entered the room, lest another accident happen.

The other Star brought out her dimensional scissors.

"I guess this is goodbye. Sorry about what happened." said the other Marco.

"We're just glad everyone is okay. We hope you guys found what you were looking for." said Marco.

"I think we did." said the other Star.

Star looked like she had something to ask. But Marco very subtly shook his head no.

"'Bye, us." Star said with a simple wave.

"'Bye, us." Said everyone in response.

A portal was opened. They stepped through together. The portal closed, and they were gone.

"I wanted to ask them so many things." said Star.

"I know. I did too. But I didn't think it would be a good idea to know too much. Their story is their story, not ours."

"Oh." Star looked disappointed. "So you don't think you and I could ever be like that?"

"I didn't say that."

Star lit up a little. "So you do think you and I could be like that?"

"I didn't say that either."

Star looked confused.

"Star, we saw a possible us. For a dimension to exist, it must have been possible. But whatever it was that happened in their dimension to bring them together, it didn't happen here."

Marco continued, "From what you and I are now, to whatever we will be in the future, just friends, or more, or nothing at all, or even enemies, we have to find the way there ourselves. Our story will be our story, not theirs. Not anyone else's."

Star nodded in understanding. "I don't think it's possible for us to be enemies. And I don't want us to become nothing at all." She said.

"Me either." Marco looked at Star. "It's been a really big day, Star. I think we should get some sleep."

"Before you go, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, Star."

The facade finally came down and Star's voice cracked as she spoke, "I could really use a hug..."

Marco opened his arms and Star rushed into them. She buried her face in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her.

Star spoke with an unsteady voice. "I was so scared. When I saw the other Marco after the explosion... I... I thought it was you." Tears began to soak Marco's hoodie darkening the red fabric.

"Shh. It's okay, Star. It's okay. We're all okay." he softly reassured her.

Her hands gripped at his sweatshirt. "I was aftaid... I was afraid you were gone..." Star choked out through her tears.

"I'm still here with you. I'm not going anywhere..."

They held each other for a long while. They did not part until Star's tears slowed and the fatigue of the day threatened sleep where they stood.

* * *

Before Marco left Star's room, he spied the quarter still on the desk. Tails side up, just as they left it.

Marco picked it up and silently looked at it. He then placed the coin on his thumb and flipped it. Despite being so close, he missed the desk. The quarter made a soft sound as it came to a sudden stop on the rug.

Marco saw George Washington stoically facing west on the quarter. Towards Star.

Bending down, he picked up the coin again and stared at the embossed face. "You can not tell a lie, huh?" Marco said quietly. He imagined the first president wiggling his eyebrows at him.

"What was that, Marco?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing." He looked over to her. A small smile curved his lips. "Good night, Star."

"Good night, Marco." She gave him a soft smile in return.

Marco slipped the quarter into his pocket, quietly closed the door behind him, and walked to his room.

* * *

In the other dimension, Marco and Star lay on top of the covers of her bed facing each other.

Marco's whole body ached. He knew he would be in agony in the morning.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that tonight."

"No. You had no idea that would happen. I'm just glad you're okay." Star paused. "Before we realized who was who after the explosion, the other Star was in tears. Terrified, like me."

"How could you tell who was who?"

"We just knew."

They looked at each other quietly.

"You do realize that those other two weren't together, right?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, but the feelings are there." Star paused. "How do you feel about a dimension where you and I aren't together?"

"I think that is the saddest thing possible, and I'm glad it's not our reality."

A kiss was her reply.

* * *

 **el fin**

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading to the end. I hope you enjoyed it. Looking forward to the end of the hiatus so there will be more developed characters for the creative writers here to work with.

-GolfAlphaMike 21May2015


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